Ivy's Story
by Jack Storm 448
Summary: The much requested backstory for Ivy the Snivy, from the Rising Storm saga; also known to some as the 'Cursed Snivy', a Pokemon who is unable to level up. Join her on the journey of a lifetime as she searches for a cure for the curse that has hung over her since her birth. Along the way she'll make new friends, and face a dark and dangerous enemy. {Re-Written, a little bit...}
1. Chapter 1

Me: If any of you are wondering what's going on, and why I haven't uploaded any new chapters recently, then let me explain...

Jack: We've just moved into a new house! We moved from the country into the city, so the transition is going to be tricky, but we'll manage; and I'm quite excited to see what living five minutes from town will be like.

Me: *Sigh* Yes, thanks a lot for explaining it all for me, Jack; I really couldn't have done it without you.

Jack: Sorry; I'll try to keep the enthusiasm to a minimum.

Me: In any event, I haven't had a chance to write in quite some time, and when my schedule did free up, I discovered that I had absolutely no ideas for the next chapter; writer's block was making a comeback. However, I have had requests for a short story about Ivy's backstory, so that's what I'm going to do. Anyway, I've tried to keep the spoilers to an absolute minimum, and most of this information will make it's way into the main story, but this will contain a lot more detail; enjoy.

* * *

Four days; that's how long it had been since Jack Storm had left Eterna.

Ivy had watched him leave, following him for some distance from the shadows, but she hadn't worked up the courage to show herself; she didn't go with him, although a small part of her wanted to. Instead, she had just come back to the gym without really deciding anything. It wasn't that she didn't want to go with him, she was afraid that he wouldn't accept her.

For her entire life, Ivy had been bounced around from one trainer to another, each one getting rid of her almost as soon as they got her; the reason, she couldn't fight.

She was born in a Pokémon Center in Nuvema Town, in the Unova Region. She was the daughter of a trainer's Serperior and Whimsicott, both of them very powerful Pokémon. The trainer was hoping that Ivy would inherit her parents' strength, but he was sorely disappointed.

Most Pokémon are already fully aware and capable, not only of moving, but also defending themselves when they're born. Normally, Snivy are no exception to this. However, when Ivy was born, she didn't move a muscle; she didn't even open her eyes. It was hours before she started showing signs of life, and long before then she'd been rushed to the emergency ward. The scans said there wasn't anything wrong with her, but she wouldn't wake up no matter what they did.

When she did finally wake up and start moving, it wasn't much; she opened her eyes, and immediately started demanding food in the way only newborns can. However, she still didn't stand up or move around; she was more like a human baby than a Pokémon hatchling.

When, after two days, Ivy still wouldn't do much more than cry and eat, the trainer decided that he couldn't wait around; he took off, leaving Ivy in the care of Nurse Joy. It wasn't until she was around eight months old when Ivy started walking on her own, and in that time, Nurse Joy made sure she was well taken care of.

Eventually, Ivy's trainer returned to Nuvema Town, and was reunited with Ivy; he accepted her gladly, and they got along quite well. Ivy's mother and father were overjoyed to see her up and we'll, and Ivy felt the same way. And, after a brief stay in Nuvema, they all set off for new adventures.

However, as they traveler and trained, it became painfully obvious that Ivy was no normal Snivy; no matter how hard she trained, no matter how much encouragement her trainer and parents gave her, she couldn't get any stronger. Her only move was Tackle, and it barely left a dent in anything; her trainer began to get frustrated.

When, after a few weeks of training, Ivy still showed no signs of growing stronger, her trainer brought her back to the nearest Pokémon Centre; the Nurse Joy there gave Ivy a full scan, but it said that nothing was wrong with her.

Disappointed, and determined to gain something from Ivy, her trainer sold her to another trainer. But after a while, he realized that Ivy wasn't getting any stronger; so, he took her to Nurse Joy, but they couldn't find anything wrong. So, he sold her to another trainer, and the cycle began again.

For two years it went on, and in that time Ivy had become an urban legend; if a trainer came out of nowhere and offered you a Level 1 female Snivy, you refused, because it was probably the Cursed Snivy. However, after almost two years, the cycle was finally broken.

By luck, or by design, Ivy wound up in the hands of a seventeen year old trainer from Hoenn, by the name of Jonathan; blond hair, fair complexion, and the kindest blue eyes Ivy had ever seen. He was new to Unova, and so hadn't heard the legend of the Cursed Snivy. All he knew was that he'd never seen a more sad, hopeless-looking Pokémon than the one in front of him. So, even though he already had an experienced team of high-level Pokémon, he bought her without a second thought.

He was a kind trainer, and never demanded more from her than she could handle; his partner, a Sceptile, took her under its wing immediately, and taught her a lot about fighting in the forest. However, she still couldn't get any stronger, and Jonathan eventually noticed that something wasn't right; so, he took her to Nurse Joy, but she couldn't find anything wrong with Ivy.

As Jonathan was leaving the Pokémon Center, Ivy cradled in his arms, he bumped into another trainer. After exchanging apologies, the younger trainer noticed Ivy.

The kid took one look at Ivy, and said, "I see you've got the Cursed Snivy."

"Sorry, what?" Asked Jonathan.

The trainer looked at him oddly, then nodded in realization, "You're not from around here, are you?"

Jonathan shook his head, "No, I'm from Hoenn; I just got here a month ago."

"Well then, it's no wonder you haven't heard the legend."

"A legend?" Jonathan asked in frustration, "What legend?"

"The legend of a Snivy that never gets any stronger, no matter how much you train it; passed on from trainer to trainer, each one having to sell it to the next. If you're unlucky, or dumb enough to buy it, then there's nothing else you can do except pass it on."

Jonathan stared at the kid for a few seconds, then burst out laughing.

"Well, thanks for the advice," Jonathan said once he'd stopped laughing, "But I don't believe in legends and myths; if there's any such thing as a cursed Snivy, then I'm a Mankey's uncle."

"Alright," the boy said, walking away, "but it's said that if you keep the Cursed Snivy for too long, bad things will happen to you."

As soon as the boy was out of earshot, Jonathan gave Ivy a look of concern, "I don't believe for a second about curses and myths, but there is something wrong with you isn't there? You're not like other Snivy's, are you?"

She stared back at him, wishing she could deny everything, but she knew she owed him the truth. So, she nodded.

Jonathan didn't even blink, but he hugged her a little tighter to his chest, "Well then, let's see if we can break a curse."

Ivy really enjoyed her time with Jonathan; most of her previous trainers had been nice, but Jonathan was one step beyond that. He didn't care how much progress she made, he didn't force her to train; he was kind, compassionate, loving, all the things that had been lacking from Ivy's life for the longest time. The thought that he might find out about her and send her away, had tormented Ivy constantly.

However, despite her fears, Jonathan never even mentioned it; he never brought it up, but they both knew that Jonathan's new goal in life was to 'break the curse'. Weeks went by, and life continued much as normal; albeit, with a slightly more rigorous training regime. However, Ivy still didn't get any stronger.

Then, one day, Jonathan told his team that they were leaving Unova; they were traveling to Sinnoh. He didn't say why, he just packed everything up and got on a plane going across the sea.

As per airline rules, only Pokémon shorter than one meter could be out of their Pokéballs during flight; as such, Ivy got an exclusive view of the sea and sky from a thousand feet in the air. And when the plane finally touched down in Sinnoh, she was still overawed by the sight.

Once they were on the ground, Jonathan told his team why they came there.

"I'm looking for Gardenia of Eterna City; she's a Grass-Type expert. If anyone can help Ivy, she can."


	2. Chapter 2

Me: To answer your question, no; I'm not done with this. I intend to cover not only Ivy's early years, but also everything else up to the point where she finds Jack at the carnival. From the responses I got from my reviewers, I'm not sure how many of you guessed that this story wasn't finished; but no, I intend to go all the way. And hopefully, by the time I'm done with it, I'll have some fresh ideas for the main story.

* * *

Ivy was completely shocked; she wasn't sure whether to be touched that Jonathan had gone to all this trouble for her, or afraid that he planned to leave her in this 'Gardenia' person's care.

"No," she told herself, "Jonathan wouldn't do that to me; he's proven that!"

Reassured, Ivy put her doubts aside and gave her trainer a hug of gratitude, which was quickly returned.

They travelled for days, weeks maybe; to Ivy, it seemed like they were traveling halfway across Sinnoh. In truth, she wasn't too far off. In any event, life in Sinnoh wasn't too different from Life in Unova; they trained every day, occasionally met other trainers and battled them, and even found a couple new Pokémon to join their party. The only real difference was in the vast amount of Pokémon that Ivy had never seen before.

In that regard, it was like she was on a different planet. Instead of there being an abundance of Pidove and Patrat everywhere, there were Starly and Bidoof. Instead of sending out Tepig, Oshawat, or another Snivy like her, new trainers commonly confronted Jonathan with Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig. The only ones she recognized were Luxio, Floatzel, and Lopunny; the only Sinnoan Pokémon Jonathan had when he came to Unova. Jonathan had been in Sinnoh before, and was more than willing to tell her what The new Pokémon were.

However, nothing she saw prepared her for Eterna.

When Jonathan and company finally reached Eterna City, Ivy's doubts tried to make a comeback, but were quickly quashed by the sights and sounds of the city eternal; what with the sheer amount of ancient Sinnoan culture, history, and mythology scattered around Eterna, Ivy felt like she'd studied a textbook on the subject just by walking through the city. Walking beside her, the only other Pokémon Jonathan had out at the time, Sceptile seemed to be all but oblivious to the sights and sounds of the city; Ivy wondered if he'd been here before.

Then, like a magnet drawing in her gaze, Ivy laid eyes on something the likes of which she'd never seen before; it was the strangest human building she'd ever seen. Between its gargantuan size, greenhouse-like appearance, and the wide variety vegetation growing on and around it, it was truly a sight to behold. But despite that, Ivy still felt apprehensive about the curious building; there was no doubt in her mind that it was the Eterna City Gym. Whatever was to happen to her, would happen now.

"Well, guys," Jonathan said, "This is it; the Eterna City Gym. I just hope Gardenia will see us right away."

Following Jonathan inside, Ivy only had a vague idea of what to expect; she knew Gardenia was a Grass-type expert, and the outward appearance of the gym gave a hint as to what was inside, but Ivy was still completely dumbfounded by the sight. The gym looked like a greenhouse, for the simple reason that it was a greenhouse; it had to be as big as it was, because there was a small forest of plants and trees inside; there were so many creepers and vines running along the outside of the building, because as big as it was, the gym couldn't contain the sheer amount of plant-life growing inside it.

Looking around the gym, Ivy suddenly felt nostalgic for something she'd never known; a forest in early spring, when all the leaves on the trees are just starting to grow back. What leaves there are, are a strikingly brilliant shade of green; the chloroplasts in them working double-time to produce the precious chlorophyll necessary for turning sunlight into food. The sunlight, unhindered so far by the unfinished forest canopy, awakening thousands of seeds that had lain dormant in the ground all winter; quickly sending up leafy shoots, desperate to win the race for domination of the last direct sunlight they'll get once the trees finish growing their leaves back.

"Quite a sight, 'aint it?" Sceptile said, with the same strange accent he always used.

Ivy snapped out of her reverie, to find Sceptile looking around the gym like he owned the place.

"Have you been here before?" Ivy asked.

Sceptile laughed, "Darlin', I grew up here."

Ivy was confused, "But, I thought Jonathan was from Hoenn?"

Sceptile nodded, "Yer right, Johnny came from Hoenn sure 'nuff; but he started travelin' a long time 'afore he trainin'. You see, he came to Sinnoh 'cause he wanted to soo the world; that must've been, oh, six years ago now. He came 'ere a long time 'afore Gardenia was gym leader, and let me tell you, it looked nothing like it does today; Gardenia's made plenty of changes, and good ones in my opinion."

Ivy looked around again, to see Jonathan talking to a woman with orange and black bowl-cut hair, and wearing a... Actually, Ivy didn't know what she was wearing; maybe some sort of short poncho? Anyway, it was obvious that the woman was Gym Leader Gardenia.

"...hasn't gotten any stronger," Jonathan was saying, "No new moves, and no visible improvement in power. I'm worried that she might have some sort of disease or genetic disorder. So, can you help her?"

Ivy noted that he seemed to neglect mentioning the curse.

Gardenia pursed her lips, "You care a lot about Ivy, don't you."

Jonathan nodded decisively, "You might think it strange, but I consider all my Pokémon as extended family."

Gardenia's expression changed to a grin of approval. "In my opinion, only a kind trainer can become truly strong; strong friendships encourage strong trust, and strong trust is vital in the heat of battle. But more than that, if a trainer truly cares about their Pokémon like friends or family, the Pokémon will reciprocate the feelings; they'll push themselves all the harder to win, for their love for their trainer. I wouldn't be half the trainer I am today if I didn't consider Pokémon my friends."

"I like her," Sceptile said, "She seems like a good person, and I hear she's a crackin' good trainer; I've no doubt she'd be a good friend to have in a pinch."

Jonathan, for one, was clearly relieved at her answer; he'd met far too many trainers who treated their Pokémon like tools, or weapons. A means to an end, as opposed to even seeing them as allies; or even equals. Personally, Jonathan could've easily just despised those people, but instead he felt only pity for them; they didn't know how many lifelong friends they were passing up.

In any event, it seemed that Gardenia was everything Jonathan had hoped; strong and intelligent yes, but also kind and compassionate. Ivy would be just fine in the Gym leader's hands.

"So," Jonathan repeated, "Can you help her?"

"I think so," Gardenia replied, "But it won't be instantaneous; she'll have to stay here for a while. Is that alright?"

Jonathan didn't waste any time in answering; he'd been thinking about that question ever since they arrived in Sinnoh, and he knew the answer.

"I don't know," he said, turning to look at Ivy, "Is it?"

Ivy didn't hear the question, or anything else for that matter; she was in a state of shock. Everybody she'd ever known had abandoned her, and now Jonathan wanted to leave her too; she knew deep down that it wasn't like that, but at the time, she couldn't think straight. All she could think about was the fact that Jonathan wanted to leave her behind; he was just like all the others.

"No," the rational part of her brain insisted, "You're mistaken; if he wanted to abandon you, he wouldn't have asked you about it. He doesn't want to leave you behind, any more than you want to leave him. He's only thinking of what's best for you; he loves you like his own daughter. Now stop running, and go back."

With a shock, Ivy realized that she had indeed been running; her feet were sore from it. Feeling two wet lines on her face, she realized that she'd also been crying. She looked around, and realized that she had no idea where she was; in a forest outside Eterna City, she guessed by the abundance of trees in the area.

She'd realized a lot of things in a matter of seconds, but she failed to realize that she was not alone; peering at her out of the shrubbery, were several pairs of glowing crimson eyes. They regarded the intruder with some confusion; they'd never seen a Pokémon like her before. However, now was not the time to reveal themselves; this Pokémon stank of humans, and she would probably be missed. So, without so much as a whisper, the eyes disappeared.

Ivy, meanwhile, was completely oblivious to the eyes' presence; she was more concerned with finding her way back to Jonathan. She had no idea in what direction Eterna was, and she was too small and light to have left any tracks she could retrace; she was well and truly lost, and more than a little afraid. It was starting to get dark, and every small noise made her jump; she didn't like being alone.

All she wanted was to wake up and find that it had all been a dream; that she was still curled up on Jonathan's chest somewhere, preferably back in Unova. Or maybe in Jonathan's home region, Hoenn; prettybmuch anywhere other then here would have been fine. But unfortunately, when she opened her eyes, she was still lost in the woods outside Eterna.

However, just as she was starting to panic, her ears picked up something big headed her way; big and clumsy. She knew that, whatever it was, she had no chance of fighting it off; so, instead, she hid in the undergrowth, her leafy texture hiding her almost completely. However, the big, clumsy creature making its way through the forest, had no intention of fighting Ivy; and as soon as she saw it, she instantly broke cover and ran to it. Or rather, to them.

"Jonathan!" Ivy exclaimed, leaping into his arms; tears flowing from her large, brown eyes.

"Ivy!" Jonathan replied, hugging her to his chest; tears flowing from his kind, blue eyes.

"You gave us quite a fright," Sceptile said, keeping back his own tears by force of will, "You were movin' so fast, I almost couldn't keep up with you."

"I was worried sick; I thought I'd never find you again," Jonathan held Ivy so that she could look into his eyes, "Don't ever scare me like that again, you understand?"

Ivy nodded in consent, and Jonathan let out a relieved sigh.

"Well then," he said, "let's get out of this forest."

At that moment, everything was right in Ivy's world; she'd been reunited with Jonathan, and he'd be able to get them both out of this forest. The good feeling lasted all of five seconds, then she remembered why she was here in the first place. However, the last thing she wanted to do at the moment, was spoil it; so, she kept quiet, and waited to see what Jonathan would do about the matter of leaving her with Gardenia.

Jonathan proved to be quite adept at navigating through the forest, at least for the ten meters he had to go to reach the edge of it. To Ivy's relief, Jonathan headed straight to the Pokémon Centre, and got them a room for the night. He didn't mention the events of that day, until just before they headed off to bed; everyone else was in their Pokéballs, and Ivy was more than ready to get a good night's sleep, but Jonathan wanted to get everything cleared up first.

"So," he said tentatively, "I'm guessing you don't want to stay with Gardenia; right?"

Ivy nodded; Jonathan, like most humans, couldn't understand Pokéspeak, so his Pokémon couldn't actually talk to him. However, they could answer his yes-or-no questions easily. He'd used this system to communicate with his Pokémon since, so Sceptile said, he was just a young boy.

"Is it because you don't like her?" Jonathan asked.

Ivy shook her head.

"Is it because you don't like something about the gym?"

Another negative.

"Are you afraid I'm going to leave you behind?" Jonathan asked softly.

Ivy looked up at him for a second, and nodded sadly. She wished she could tell him all her doubts and fears, and have him brush them all away one by one, but he wouldn't be able to understand her.

Then, suddenly, Jonathan picked her up and cuddled her close to his chest, rocking her gently back and forth like a baby in a cradle; she loved it when he did that. She felt warm, and safe, and loved.

"You know I'd never leave you behind," Jonathan said softly, "I'd come back for you, and I'd visit you as often as I could."

Ivy snuggled a little closer to him; she'd always known, deep down, that he'd never abandon her. She'd been blinded by fear, but when she was cuddled up in his arms like this, there was no place for fear.

"I only want what's best for you," Jonathan said, "You know that, right?"

Ivy nodded; she knew exactly where this was going, but she found that she didn't mind the idea quite as much as she had before.

"Well right now," Jonathan said, a hint of sadness in his voice, "I'm not what's best for you; Gardenia is. I have no idea why you're not getting any stronger, but it's not about that; I don't know if your condition has any other effects. For all I know, you could turn purple, or lose your tail, or develop an allergy to milk if you don't get proper treatment. We just don't know."

Ivy shuddered; she hadn't thought of that.

"Gardenia can find out what's wrong with you, and help you with it," Jonathan's voice was still soft, but now also firm, "She knows pretty much everything there is to know about Grass-Types; and I know she'll treat you like her own daughter. And I'll visit so often, that you won't even notice I'm gone."

Ivy thought about it, but she still wasn't keen on the idea.

"I'll tell you what," Jonathan said, putting her down, "Eterna gym won't be going anywhere overnight, so how's about you sleep on it; we can talk about it more in the morning."

Ivy nodded; she was more than ready to curl up and go to sleep. Jonathan reached for her Pokéball, but she protested.

Jonathan smiled, "Do you want to sleep with me?"

Ivy nodded, and Jonathan laughed, "Alright then, come on up."

A few minutes later, they were both comfortably tucked into bed; Jonathan under the covers, and Ivy on his chest. Jonathan fell asleep quickly, but Ivy stayed up for quite some time thinking about what she was going to do. However, every way she looked at it, staying at the Eterna gym for a while was the best option. She didn't much like it, but she eventually accepted it and went to sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day.


End file.
